Vignettes of Regrets
by elektra30
Summary: Six Animorphs, six vignettes. Some things were lurking at the corners of canon, so it's up to us to imagine what could have happened. But sometimes, 'what could have happened' often comes with a burden not many people want.
1. Flirting with the Unknown

**Notes: **Written for the Animorphs LJ comm's first fanfic competition. Theme: The Six Animorphs.

* * *

**I. Flirting with the Unknown (Marco)**  
_During #1: The Invasion._

My name is Marco. I'm the cutest dude in school. Absolutely. Which totally explained why I was trying to chat up this girl seated next to me called Jenna and getting nothing in return.

"I really think we'd look kinda good hanging out at a hotdog stall, you know, chilling out, we could go sit on the Thunderbird coaster and..."

"Nice try, Marco-boy, but it ain't working," she said, with a tight smile, as the bell rang. She got out of her seat, slung her duffel bag over her shoulder and left. My eye caught a grinning Jake at the other end of the classroom, and I flipped a finger at him. He shrugged his shoulder and made a little hand action that is like our kinda secret code. Yeah, sorry girls, dudes do that too. Especially dudes who have known each other since they were squalling in their cots over who was the cutest baby. No prizes for guessing who won.

...maybe we were five, but that doesn't make much of a difference.

Anyway about Jenna, it's no biggie. My skills weren't just up to it today man. I'd probably go harness some other skills instead, skills that would definitely assure me of victory. Like kicking Jake's butt at the video arcade today.

"Hey, Marco-boy, why is it that your awesome technological skills never translate into relationship ones?" Jake mocked, as we were walking to the mall after school.

"I'm too young." I sniffed. "Puh-leese, I wasn't serious. If I was, they'd be all over me by now."

"Yeah, completely," said Jake, dryly. "The last time you tried to chat Ashley up, you ended up with your mugshot pasted on the gym ropes."

"Some girls just don't appreciate being called a babe. Seriously, who doesn't?"

"A babe with really beautiful _natural_ blonde hair."

"How was I to know it was a wig? Besides, if she wore it, it means she has accepted it to be her natural one. It's not my fault that she thought her own black curls were ugly. I never knew she had black hair."

"Face it, you thought the blonde was ugly."

"Yeah, I did."

Jake snorted. I couldn't exactly tell if it was in derision or in mirth.

"You're not any better yourself, big Jake." I accused. "You don't have relationship OR technological skills. That's just way more pathetic."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, come off that act." I snickered. "I know you have the hots for Cassie."

Jake jumped a little, like I had caught him doing something wrong. Then he flushed red. Boy, is he subtle. "Stop making wild guesses."

Did he really think he could get away with it? Jake's one of the most solid guys I've ever known, he's the kind of guy that you know you can depend on (a fact I exploit to the fullest) and he knows exactly what he wants. Most of the time, at least. But when it came to matters of the heart, he was a dunce through and through.

"Pathetic." I repeated. "And this is _exactly_ why I'm gonna kick your butt later."

He chuckled. "Just make sure you've got enough quarters."

A few hours later, I really wished I hadn't decided to kick Jake's butt. In fact, maybe I shouldn't have hit on Jenna in the first place. I later found out that she had an extreme fear of heights. I should have known that fact earlier. Then I wouldn't have had gotten that sick urge to prove myself at the video arcade, or even thinking for a few seconds that it wouldn't do any harm to cut through the abandoned construction site.

This is one of those rare days when I have to admit my ego gets me into serious trouble.


	2. Letting Go

**II. Letting Go (Tobias)  
**_Post #13: The Change.  
_

Marco looked like he had a lot to say, just that the sheer amount of it all was taking some time to organise in his brain. He averted his gaze from me, and I realised I had been staring too hard at him.

Oops. Need to be more aware.

We were an awkward-looking bunch in the woods, all wearing variations of 'smart attire', as stated in the invitation letter. The invitation I never got, but had seen on Rachel's desk the night after I knew she had gotten the notice on the Packard Foundation Outstanding Student Award. The only one who wasn't in human attire was Ax, but his natural form was bizarre enough to accentuate the awkwardness of the whole scene. And yes, I was in a long-sleeved shirt and pants ensemble just like Jake and Marco. I had gotten Jake to lend me, using Marco as an excuse. Naturally, that was the first thing Marco would talk about.

"Man, I've got clothes to wear. Ralph Lauren, Marc Jacobs, you name it. I don't need Jake to lend me anything. Tobias, next time, get a better cover story."

"Jake bought it," I said, weakly.

"Marc Jacobs, huh." Jake raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you upturn your nose on me," Marco said, before he turned that mocking finger on me. "Now, you're the one supposed to break the silence, not me, you know."

"What did the Ellimist do?" asked Cassie, gently. She was in a very sweet little floral dress, quite un-Cassie, but most definitely picked out for her by Rachel.

And next to me, Rachel – while in a very stylish collared black dress – was not looking very sweet at the moment.

I tried not to look at her as I spoke. "He – he brought me back in time to acquire my human DNA."

Marco whistled.

‹Meddlesome entities,› said Ax, for the umpteenth time. ‹Not to be trusted.›

"What does he want from you? From us?" Cassie wondered aloud.

"I don't know," I said, as evenly as possible. "But I do know that it's a lot easier for me to fight the war now. I can morph any other animal, just like all of you. Only catch is that I have to be in hawk morph to acquire the DNA."

"But Tobias," whispered Cassie. "That's not it. You can be human again."

"No!" My response was immediate, harsh, angry. "It will be a morph, just like any of the other animal morphs that I've acquired and become. I'm not going to leave you all with this–"

"Not going to leave us, but going to lose yourself?"

Rachel's voice was so soft, but yet so bitter that it was clawing at me. I took a deep breath.

"I'm not losing myself."

Rachel stared at me incredulously. "Beyond two hours, you're not yourself _anymore_."

"Rachel, that's enough," said Jake, wearily tugging at his tie. "Tobias, did he have a condition?"

"Apart from two hours," I eyed Rachel with annoyance, "nothing."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes." Any moment of hesitation would send Rachel shooting arrows in my direction in a millisecond. I was hurt and angry by her reaction, by the Ellimist's scheme, by everyone's pity. Tobias the human was weak and would let his emotions overwhelm him. I had a desperate urge to turn hawk immediately so that I could break out of this web of emotions.

"I need to go," said Rachel, in a raspy voice.

The moment she turned, I had my hand on her arm.

"I need some time." She couldn't even look me in the eye. I could have just dismissed it as childish petulance, a stubborn denial. But it was denial of a different kind, something deeper. Rachel means a lot to me, more than a friend, really. And by then, I knew the feeling was reciprocated. But right now, I just wanted her to accept it, to take it in her stride.

If only Rachel knew, that most of the time, I drew my courage from her.

"Let her go, Tobias," said Cassie.

And I did.


	3. Seerow of Earth

**III. Seerow of Earth (Cassie)  
**_Post #19: The Decision.  
_

It was pretty much an ordinary day. The norm, you know, just going to the barn and mucking out the stalls and feeding the animals. Getting my overalls stained with all kinds of residue that Rachel would have mocked at. There was a golden eagle that refused to take its pills, and if Tobias saw how it took swipes at me, he would have made another snide remark about saving lost causes. There was a grass snake that needed a couple drops of bacitracin on its wounds, and I was reminded of the time Marco commented how girls were afraid of snakes, but ended up yammering away when I tossed him one.

It made me smile.

I stopped by the last cage.

"You're beautiful," I whispered, as I reached in to stroke the crest of the brilliantly colourful macaw. Red, blue, yellow. Magenta, cyan, chrome. Were there more in-between shades? I could see about a hundred colours, including those that had flitted past my eyes over the last few days, and found myself smiling crazily at the bird. Did it know? Did it know I could see how iridescent those hues were?

I walked out of the clinic, took off my gloves and set the pail down. It took only a second for a shuddering feeling to overcome me. I had to squat down to stop shaking, and before I knew it, my eyes began to blur with hot tears.

"Cassie?"

I sprang back up again, hurriedly trying to wipe my face, but it was of no use. Jake leapt off his bicycle, not caring that it clattered to the ground, and ran towards me. He grabbed my hands, not very roughly, and stared at me. Now I really wanted to bury my head in the ground.

If Jake had asked, "Why are you crying?", I think I would have just lost it and blacked out. My head was spinning, and something inside me was expanding and constricting at a crazy speed. But it seemed that Jake was quite aware of what was going on with me. Before I could feel awkward, he had swiftly taken my hand and led me into the barn. Then he set me against the bales of hay, rubbing circles on my temples. He didn't stop until my heavy breathing subsided into regular puffs of breath.

I shifted a little to prop myself up, unclenching my fists.

"Need some water?" He cracked a crooked little smile. A very sweet smile, that made my heart ache.

"It's okay."

There was a moment of semi-awkward silence.

"Jake," I finally managed to say. "Don't you want to ask me why?"

"Why what?" He looked surprised.

"Why – why I chose to do it."

"You mean, why you chose to give us away to a Yeerk?"

I froze. Jake's voice had changed into something thick. Dangerous. Challenging.

"Jake..."

For the past few days, Jake had not talked to me. Neither had the others. Rachel had blatantly avoided me in school, and Marco managed a weak smile, which was so unlike him. Even Tobias didn't fly by. I knew if I went to find Ax, I would be shunned, too, for what I had done was one of the greatest betrayals ever.

It was like after they had expended so much effort to save me, my very _human_ presence had undone it all.

I swallowed hard. "Jake, have you ever taken a gamble in your life?"

He didn't reply, only looking at me with eyes narrowed.

"As our leader, you have, that's for sure," I whispered, looking away. "Countless of risks. Countless of times when you reached a junction and go, is this the right route to take? What happens if I take this route? It's okay if it leads nowhere, but what if it leads to the wrong thing?" I was babbling, and I knew it. "No, I mean..." I found myself deflating. "What if we can do this another way?"

No response.

"If they could see another way out of this mindless infestation, maybe they would be living on their own and not bothering anyone else. It was a very, very risky gamble, but now we know that they want this alternative. If we find it, then things can be different."

Jake drummed his fingers against a stool beside him. "Cassie, why are you telling me all these?"

"I don't want you to think I was selling us out."

He stared at me. Then finally, he got up and sat right next to me. Instinctively, I leant my head against his shoulder, and he put an arm around me. A tingling went through me, for Jake and I are not really the physical type. We just – pardon the cheesiness – sort of know we're there for each other. Jake's like this dependable guy whom everyone knows is their backing, and I know that he's especially mine. But after this episode... I wasn't sure if I could even count on him.

"Cassie," he said, slowly. "I was really angry when I found out what you had done. When Karen was telling us everything that happened, god, I swear I wanted to kill her. But when Marco was going to do what I wished I could, I suddenly felt like if we killed her, we'd undo everything you'd gone through. You'd trusted Aftran, and you're not stupid, Cassie, so how could I just assume that you were wrong?"

Now he really made me want to cry.

"I know what you were thinking. I know that it's a tempting choice to try to take the easy way out. But you have to know that for all those little peacekeepers, they're still a hell lot of those worms who're out for our blood. Human blood."

I gave an involuntary shudder; Jake must have felt it, for he squeezed me tighter.

"You weren't wrong to take that gamble. But it's not something to do again. You got lucky that Aftran was telling the truth, that she really let Karen go. But what does this mean for her? Not take another host and spend her life as a blind, helpless Yeerk in that Yeerk pool? How can she help us if she doesn't take over another creature? She'll only take on another host, and that's it."

"She won't _enslave_ them," I argued. "It's the fact that she's willing to let go."

"What if Karen got recaptured?"

I felt another shudder run through me.

Jake sighed, evidently deciding not to press further. "Cassie, even if there's a peace movement, it's going to take ages before they actually can rally together."

I hung my head. "Jake, I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for? That you felt this was too much for you?"

"No, that I gave up."

"It's because of you that we've found another way to deal with things," said Jake, cracking a little smile. "Just don't do it again. That's probably enough alternatives we're going to churn up for the moment."

"But the rest..."

"I've called them over," said Jake, and I leant out of his arms, staring at him in surprise. "Half an hour's time. Take your time, I'm sure they'll understand."

I don't know how much time I would take. Tobias might understand, but Marco and Rachel would be tearing me apart with rage and sarcasm. Ax – what I had done was the ultimate betrayal in his eyes, just like Prince Seerow had betrayed the Andalites by giving hope to the Yeerks – I don't know if he'd ever forgive me. But at the moment, I had Jake, and it was enough.

God, sometimes Jake made me so guilty and sad, and loved – all at the same time.

He reached out with one hand, slightly awkwardly, to thumb away another tear on my cheek. I wished I could kiss him right there. Except for the fact that at that very moment, my mom yelled,

"Cassie! Are you done with the feeding? I need you to shovel the pile of manure at the back of the barn!"

I managed a smile at Jake, who was rolling his eyes good-humouredly. "Guess we both have responsibilities to deal with."


	4. Leadership Advice

**IV. Leadership Advice (Jake)  
**_Post #33: The Illusion._

"Jake!"

"Whaaat, Mooom?" I grunted. It was eight in the morning, and I had collapsed in bed at seven-thirty after I spent the night surveilling a high-ranking government official to make sure he didn't have a slug in his brain. I sure as hell wasn't ready to get out of bed.

"Rachel's here!"

I didn't even think, I just rubbed my eyes. "Get her in..."

It didn't take long for Rachel to come up to my room, although I had no idea she had arrived until I felt something cold touch my face and trickle down.

"Hey!" I jerked up, running my hands over my face. "What's that for?"

"Wake-up call," said Rachel, waving my bathroom sponge in front of me. "Ready to host me?"

I glared at her, squeegeeing the water out of my fringe. "At your service, Miss Rachel Berenson."

"Good. Anyway, it's your fault that you're still in bed at this hour."

My brain kicked into gear. "What's up?" Rachel hardly ever comes over, not to mention alone, and not to mention the fact that a Controller lives in the room next to mine.

"Actually, I didn't come for you, I came to bring your family some cookies Jordan baked." Rachel rolled her eyes. "Mom was so proud she became domesticated that she insisted the cookies had to go islandwide."

"Nice try, Rach," I lowered my voice. "But otherwise Jordan would have come."

The side of Rachel's mouth quirked. "I'm not lying about the cookies, I did bring them. But I thought maybe I'd drop by to ask you go walk with me. I need to talk to you about Cassie." She winked.

I let out a groan just as Tom's door slammed shut outside.

"Actually, it's not about Cassie, I just said that for Tom's benefit. It's Tobias," said Rachel, once we were a good distance away from the house. She had insisted we walked instead of flew, and it signalled to me that she wanted a private but proper talk. Very unlike Rachel, but I was all ears.

Sometimes, I think I don't understand Rachel as well as I should.

"Not in some kind of trouble, is he?" I tried not to sound alarmed.

"No, it's more about you regarding Tobias."

"I don't get you."

"You could have gotten Tobias to do surveillance last night. You didn't have to wear yourself out demorphing and morphing all night just to keep an eye on that Robinson fellow."

"Just wanting to test Air Force Two out," I said, lamely.

"That's just because you're scared of sending Air Force One out into the storm again," said Rachel, and I was slightly taken aback at how perceptive my cousin was at that moment. And feeling a little guilty for the underestimation. I was pretty sure Marco and Cassie had both figured this out already, but I didn't know whether to be thankful that they didn't bring it up to me.

I sighed. "How's Tobias?"

"Same old. Not talking too much. When he does, it's always slightly philosophical. Don't really get him half the time. But yesterday, he did talk about one of the dreams he had. You know, while in the box. Something about plucking berries and a nice Professor Powers telling him stories. Was kinda nice."

"Yeah, would have liked to hear it."

"It's not that easy, huh," said Rachel, her voice getting quieter. "Being a leader. All the choices you have to make."

Yes, it was hard. Sometimes the choices I made left such a bitter aftertaste in my tongue that refused to disappear. I had sent Tobias to test the Anti-Morphing Ray out, knowing that the Yeerks would end up thinking the Ray did not work and render it useless. Instead, I had sent Tobias into a torturous nightmare that had left him more subdued and withdrawn than ever. He never spoke about what happened, but I could only imagine how horrible it must have been when I saw his broken and battered hawk body within the glass cube Taylor had trapped him in.

"You know," said Rachel. "Just wondering what it's like to be a leader."

I didn't know what to tell her. It was the right choice, I knew it, because the Yeerks eventually abandoned the Ray project. I think I said something along the lines of, "Go with your intuitive," or something like that. Something totally unhelpful.

Later, Rachel would go on to be a leader in one of the missions I was away for. Cassie was nearly captured by the Yeerks, and in her eyes, I saw the same regrets I had. She came to me for advice again, and this time, I told her that as long as we got everyone out alive, it would be a success.

Little did I know that when it came to the crunch moment, I didn't heed my own advice.


	5. The Only Thing Left

**V. The Only Thing Left (Rachel)**  
_Post #50: The Ultimate._

_"Please!" The voice was pathetic, terrified, desperate. "No, no, NO, NOOOO!"_

"NOOOO!"

I shot upright in bed, heaving and wheezing.

A quick look around saw my mom and sisters sound asleep in the cramp quarters of our cabin. I hadn't screamed as loudly as I thought I had. Feeling queasy in the stomach, I got out of bed, grabbed a torchlight, and stumbled out of the cabin in clothes that I had worn throughout the day. Usually, I'd have changed, but I was just too tired last night after our trip to the children's hospital that I couldn't be bothered.

Yes, I did bring half my wardrobe to the valley, but that's not the point.

I made my way to the forest, torchlight in hand. Tobias would be mad at me for waking him up at this hour, but I needed to hear his voice. To wipe out the helpless one screaming in my head.

"Rachel?"

I whipped my head around, swinging the torchlight towards – "Oh, Cassie, you scared me!"

"Sorry," she said, ruefully. "What are you doing out here at night?"

"Can't sleep," I muttered. "Guess you're the same."

"Are you going to look for Tobias? If you are, then..."

"It's okay," I said. I hadn't talked to Cassie for quite a while. "River?"

In a moment, we were both seated by the river in the middle of the valley, which was dimly lit by the moon. I picked listlessly at the grass and waited for Cassie to say something. Cassie has been my best friend since – I don't know when, but lately, we've just kinda grown apart. She's always been our voice of reason, the one to draw the boundaries between us and the Yeerks, but these days, she's getting all soppy and moralistic that it just hurts to listen to her. I'm tired of having to draw lines when at the zenith of rage, you just want to slice up every one of those worms and toss them into an incinerator.

I'm tired of thinking too much about what to do and what not to do, and every moment wasted thinking is every moment Yeerks are winning. And we can't let that happen.

"I had a nightmare," said Cassie, softly. "I dreamt that we were captured one by one and turned into Controllers."

"We all have that nightmare," I said, a little harshly. "Just different variations of it. Maybe it's prophetic."

"Do you think we'll win?"

I looked at Cassie, who was staring spacily into the distance.

"I'd like to think so."

"What was your nightmare?"

"I didn't even say I had a nightmare."

"Rachel." Cassie's voice was pained. "I daresay even though we haven't been talking much of late, that I can still tell when you're trying to hide something."

"Now you're psychic," I grumbled.

"David?"

I froze.

"I – I don't want to know what happened, Rach, I just–"

"You don't want to know, or that you already know?" I gritted my teeth.

"I was responsible for the first time, remember?"

"Well, this time, I made sure there won't be a third time."

Even saying that made my insides clench. I was having trouble breathing. Every detail of the nightmare was coming back to me again. I shouldn't have stopped to talk to Cassie; I should have gone straight to Tobias and let him babble about rats and voles and rabbits to take my mind off...

"You made your decision, Rachel. It's time to move on. We've all done things we're not proud of, but we've got to move on to –"

"You know what? I think the Z monster has come attacking and I'm not going to put up any more resistance." I got up, brushing my track pants. "Good night, Cassie."

She didn't say a word, not until I had walked a few steps away.

"You know," I stopped in my tracks at her voice, "it's the only thing we have left in this war. At least it's still intact, Rachel, otherwise you wouldn't be feeling so tormented."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, and my conscience totally told me to do the right thing to David."

I quickened my pace, heading back to my cabin, back to sleep, and back to the nightmare that would torment me till the very end.


	6. Human Philosophy

**VI. Human Philosophy (Ax)**  
_During #54: The Beginning.  
_

‹Is there a purpose for this object in the kitchen? It appears to be a primitive-looking communication device that would be better placed in–›

"Ax-man, that's a coffee machine. I. Need. Coffee. And coffee comes from the kitchen."

‹Ahh, coffee. Like Starbucks?›

"Yes, coffee like Starbucks kinda coffee, but no, the coffee is not like Starbucks."

‹I am confused.›

"Ax," said Marco, seriously. "My coffee is _superior_ quality cacao beans, way better than the consumerised Starbucks versions. You have to learn the difference if you're going to get your Andalite homies high on caffeine."

I was in Marco's sprawling residence (I have read many newspaper articles that have referred to it as such), on a "regular hang out" with him. We had just finished his entire Xbox game series, to which I had disdainfully commented on the ease at which one could get through the levels through a few manipulations. Marco had insisted that I played by the rudimentary way (without what he called "cheat codes" – they weren't cheating methods!) and thus it had taken longer than usual.

‹You are extremely free today,› I said. ‹Usually you're involved with reading a lot of documents.›

"Scripts, Ax-man, scripts. I'm a bit tired from reading through all those guest starring offers. I want a lead role in that new crime investigation show. I could totally be a suave forensics dude."

‹Or you would be lamenting the fact that I've beaten you yet again after your countless attempts to master the Xbox games.›

"I'm trying, okay? I'm still trying – Ax, what's wrong with me sitting on this chair and just trying to chill? Must you try and insert activities into my schedule for me to look like a useful person? I'm being extremely productive; mind you, as I speak, millions are rolling into my bank account from all those sponsorship deals and past acting credits..."

'Chilling' is an activity that I quite enjoy as well, as it can relax the mind and body. But with the wrinkles on Marco's forehead, I could clearly tell that he was not 'chilling' at all. So I raised my eyebrow (after much practice before) at him.

"What?"

‹You are not relaxed. Therefore, you are not chilling.›

"Don't give me the I am, therefore I am not, or some similar kind of stupid philosophy, Ax."

‹I think, therefore I am, by Rene Descartes.›

Marco narrowed his eyes at me.

‹What are you thinking about?›

It took a long while before Marco closed his eyes and leaned back on his armchair again. "You're going back to the Andalite homeworld tomorrow, Ax. You won't be back on Earth till goodness knows when 'cos you'll be out busting other alien asses in the galaxy. Right now, just enjoy chilling as a human."

‹I myself find it hard to 'chill' when there are so many things on my mind.›

"What's bothering you?"

‹I have not seen Tobias for a long while.›

"Probably won't for a _really_ long while." Marco opened his eyes. "Unless a miracle happens."

‹Prince Jake – is he alright?›

"Still tormented over whether he did the right thing. Can't knock any sense into that brain of his."

‹Cassie is doing well with the Hork-Bajir.›

"Yes. You're talking in riddles today, Ax-man. You okay?"

‹Are you happy, Marco?›

There was a slight hesitation before he answered. "As happy as I could possibly be."

‹We have fought well. We should have no regrets.›

"Try telling that to the dude who gave the call to kill seventeen thousand Yeerks and I'm sure he'll agree with you wholeheartedly."

‹Nobody comes out of war completely unscathed. Even you, Marco. We must remember Rachel for her courage and strength, not berate ourselves over painful decisions. We must celebrate the freedom of billions of humans on Earth than bemoan the lost chance to convert and redeem the oppressors.›

Marco smirked. "Andalite philosophy. All that stuff about honour."

He put his hands behind his head. "Well, I don't know about you, Ax-man. But Rachel was more than a friend and warrior to some of us, and losing her was more than a sacrifice."

His voice was slightly trembling as he continued. "Let us humans have our own regrets, Ax, even if you Andalites choose to cast away yours. Sometimes it's the regrets we have that make us choose our path in life."

He paused. "Wow, I didn't just say all that. Could use it in my next talkshow appearance. I'd get a Chicken Soup book to myself."

Marco was right, of course. To regret is an embarrassment for an Andalite warrior. There were countless moments in this war when I should have done things a different way. For one, I never trusted my human friends enough and placed allegiance with my race which had turned on the humans. If I had to choose... now that everything was over, it was clear that I had made the right choice. But had I been given a real option, I might have chosen differently. So many things could have happened differently. Sometimes I was disgusted with my friends' behaviour, especially Prince Jake. His wallowing was incredibly unbecoming of a Prince.

But what Marco said made me realise: these humans may be bogged down by their emotions, relationships and conscience, but it is those very things that make them unique, and it is what gives them courage in life. Unbeknownst to them, it is their greatest failing and strength against the rest of the galaxy.

‹I think I can chill now.›

"That's great, Ax. You know, I'm totally not being soppy, but I'm going to miss you, your aphorisms and all."

‹So will I, Marco.›

"By the way, I've helped you order an Andalite ship full of Cinnabons. That enough?"

‹Yes, that is enough, Marco. Thank you.›


End file.
